Laparoscopic surgical treatment of liver echinococcosis in Uzbekistan: Outcomes and implementation challenges of minimally invasive surgery

Liver echinococcosis, caused by Echinococcus granulosus, remains a significant public health concern in Uzbekistan, particularly in rural agricultural communities. While open surgery has traditionally been the primary treatment, it is associated with prolonged recovery and higher complication rates. This study aims to evaluate the safety, efficacy, and clinical outcomes of laparoscopic surgery in managing liver echinococcosis in Uzbekistan. A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted on 120 patients who underwent either laparoscopic (n = 60) or open surgery (n = 60) between 2020 and 2024 at three tertiary medical centers. Key parameters included operative time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative pain (VAS), hospital stay, complication rates, and recurrence. The laparoscopic group demonstrated significantly shorter operative time (95 vs. 130 min; p < 0.001), reduced blood loss (80 vs. 180 mL; p < 0.001), lower pain scores (3.2 vs. 6.7; p < 0.001), and shorter hospital stays (4.1 vs. 10.3 days; p < 0.001). Complication rates were also significantly lower in the laparoscopic group (6.7 % vs. 18.3 %; p = 0.045), while recurrence rates showed no significant difference after one year (3.3 % vs. 5.0 %; p = 0.65). These findings suggest that laparoscopic surgery offers substantial advantages over open surgery in terms of safety, recovery, and resource utilization.